It’s a few days before Christmas when Detective Shane Scully and his wife, Alexa, respond to a call in the Hollywood Hills. The crime scene is the pristine backyard swimming pool of a once immaculate mansion on Skyline Drive, the site of an infamous murder decades prior, in which a family was killed in cold blood on Christmas Eve. In the ensuing years, the house has been shuttered and left exactly as it stood on that terrible night.

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Publisher's Summary

It’s a few days before Christmas when Detective Shane Scully and his wife, Alexa, respond to a call in the Hollywood Hills. The crime scene is the pristine backyard swimming pool of a once immaculate mansion on Skyline Drive, the site of an infamous murder decades prior, in which a family was killed in cold blood on Christmas Eve. In the ensuing years, the house has been shuttered and left exactly as it stood on that terrible night.

Shane and Alexa arrive to discover the aftermath of a lavish party. The revelers have fled, leaving three dead bodies, all shot with the same gun. One is acclaimed film producer Scott Berman. The others, a pair of gorgeous women in their early 20s.

Scully is assigned to the case along with his new partner, Sumner Hitchens. Hitch has a reputation in the department as a self-promoter; he sold the story rights to one of his cases to a film production company - and he has the millions to show for it. Scully and Hitch begin to investigate, and the case looks to be open-and-shut: The two young women were hired prostitutes, and there’s a security video of an angry husband firing on all three. A simple case of revenge.

But there’s a catch: The detectives discover a single spent bullet casing that doesn’t match the rest. From that single bullet emerges a story that spans 30 years - a tale of love, murder, suicide, and one of the biggest financial frauds in L.A. history. It’s a story fit for the screen - and Hitch is determined to get it there, no matter what it takes. But someone has gone to great lengths to cover up the crime, and as Scully and Hitch get closer to the answer, they find themselves in a killer’s crosshairs. The case could be the makings of a blockbuster Hollywood film - but only if Scully gets out of it alive.

This is the kind of writing that got me into this series. The past 2 or 3 books have tended to the preposterous, but this one very good. It is sad that this maybe the last of the books because of Cannell's very sad passing, although I hear there may be one more in the pipeline.

Since the passing this year of author Stephen Cannell, unless there were more manuscripts, will miss his wonderful way with the 'police case' mystery.....great characters, humor and action.
Scott Brick as the narrator was 'spot on' and very easy to listen and enjoy over and over....as is what will have to happen. Will have to go back and listen to the rest of the 'Shane Skully' series...but from this one, they work well as a stand alone story as well, and the narration really adds to the story.

When I heard of Mr. Cannell's passing, I was truly sad that I wouldn't be able to enjoy any more Shane Scully novels. I was pleasantly surprised when The Prostitute's Ball was released. It was another exciting novel with an excellent narrator.

Cannell's writing style of giving the reader, or viewer early hints of the plot direction are so subtle, that they are not consciously noticed, but sub-consciously draw you into personal involvement in the story.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Scott Brick's performance is excellent as always. There are no forced voice fluctuations taking you out of the story flow.

Any additional comments?

Cannell, being one of the most prolific writers in Hollywood, knew story points, plot point, character development, and timing to an exact art, and he religiously adhered to them.

What made the experience of listening to The Prostitutes' Ball the most enjoyable?

I've read several of the Shane Scully novels, but this was my first audiobook. The story translates well to this format. The dedication is significant -- can you catch Stephen Cannell poking fun at himself as Scully checks out the male victim's background?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shane Scully is his usual rule-breaking, end-justifies-the-means self in this book. The surprise is his new partner, a seemingly lightweight Hollywood type. He's funny in spots and confronts Shane with a different kind of ethical dilemma.

First time with this author. Love the narration by Scott Brick. Story line was good, interesting and kept me listening. Only wish it was longer! Would be fun to see this in a movie. Will order more from this author mainly because Scott Brick does the narration.

Where does The Prostitutes' Ball rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've listened to maybe 4-5 audio books a few years ago when I was still travelling a lot but this is my first from Audible.com. I chose this title because I've always been a big fan of the author's television work and was interested in his Shane Scully series and had read great reviews of "The Prostitutes' Ball" in particular.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Prostitutes' Ball?

It's hard to mention any particular moment as there were a number. HIs changing relationship with Chooch as well as that with Alexa, in particular.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Shane Scully

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction was to immediately want to read/listen to the entire Shane Scully series from the beginning as the author intended!

Any additional comments?

The Shane Scully series is more than just another example of Stephen J. Cannell's talents as an author. What he writes on paper is visualized and takes on another dimension that propels one to keep listening because you're so anxious to see/hear what happens in the chapters to follow!

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